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Former Queens public defender executive to plead guilty in theft case
By
Samantha Max
Published Dec 31, 2025
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By
Samantha Max
Published Dec 31, 2025
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The former leader of a Queens public defender organization plans to plead guilty in a criminal case that accuses her of stealing tens of thousands of dollars from the nonprofit, according to a new filing in federal court.
Federal prosecutors in the Eastern District of New York have accused former Queens Defenders Executive Director Lori Zeno and her husband, Rashad Ruhani, of using corporate credit cards for a vacation to Bali, a luxury resort stay in Santa Monica, expensive meals at high-end restaurants and shopping sprees at ritzy stores.
An indictment also accuses the couple of using the organization’s money for an 85-inch smart TV, teeth-whitening procedures and a penthouse apartment that they falsely claimed was being used for client services.
Zeno and Ruhani pleaded not guilty to wire fraud, theft of funds, money laundering and conspiracy charges in June. In a letter to the court on Tuesday, the U.S. attorney’s office said Zeno’s attorney “has indicated that his client wishes to plead guilty” and asked for a hearing to be set for as early as next week.
Zeno’s lawyer, Anthony Ricco, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Queens Defenders was established in 1996, around the same time as several other public defender organizations that were formed in the wake of a Legal Aid Society strike.
Until recently, the organization provided legal defense and other support services to low-income clients facing court cases in Queens. After Zeno’s indictment, the city announced that Brooklyn Defender Services would take over Queens Defenders’ contract to provide indigent legal services in Queens.
Zeno founded the group and served as its executive director until January 2025, when the board put her on leave and banned her from its property, the Queens Daily Eagle reported. As executive director, Zeno earned more than $430,000 in 2023 — the highest salary of any executive at New York City’s major public defender organization that year, according to tax filings.
Tagged
public defender
public safety
queens
Samantha Max
Samantha reports on whether New Yorkers feel safe and whether the institutions that are supposed to protect them are working. Before coming to WNYC/Gothamist, she spent three years covering the criminal justice system in Tennessee for Nashville Public Radio. Her reporting on Nashville's police department received multiple awards, including the Daniel Schorr Journalism Prize. Samantha was also part of the inaugural class of Report for America, a service journalism program that sends up-and-coming reporters to local newsrooms across the country. She is a Northwestern University grad, a Baltimore native and fluent in Spanish. Got a tip? Email [email protected] or Signal: samanthamaxwnyc.93.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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